Best…podcast…ever

My girlfriend turned me onto the Joe Rogan Experience podcast back in 2013, and my initial response was “Rogan? The UFC commentator? From that Fear Factor show?” Yeah, that guy. At the time I was spending many hours at work engaging in some monotonous and repetitive actions, so I figured I’d give the world of podcasts a try. She’s usually right about everything anyway, so I could at least download a few episodes and see what it was about.

Little did I know that her recommendation would change the way I looked at the world.

There’s a reason this podcast is popular. Joe Rogan routinely hosts a plethora of interviewees from across the spectrum, touching on subjects so diverse and interesting I wouldn’t even have thought to learn about them on my own. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Paul Stamets, Dr. Carl Hart, Graham Hancock, Dr. Rhonda Patrick…the list goes on. Hearing an in-depth interview with someone like Paul Stamets, after being a fan of his medicinal mushroom products for years, blew my mind like the psilocybin variety Mr. Stamets talks about on that episode. 20 grams of psychedelics? Heroic dose, indeed. I’ll stick to the Lions Mane and Cordyceps for my daily morning dose, thankyouverymuch.

This isn’t just a podcast about comedy and MMA, although there are plenty of episodes that focus exclusively on those subjects. This podcast opens doors to subjects we could all benefit from. My fascination with kettlebells came after hearing about them on this show, as did my desire to start meditating and cutting WAY back on carbohydrates in my diet. This podcast made me a better person both physically and mentally. All stuff you could learn about from cursory internet research of course, but not with the added benefits of hilarious commentary that nearly every episode contains.

There are certain to be occasional guests you won’t agree with at times. You may dismiss the show as “meathead” or “obscene”, and will probably have your feathers ruffled. Rogan does have a Netflix comedy special titled “Triggered”, after all. But that’s a good thing. We NEED to have our feathers ruffled. The world shouldn’t be an echo chamber. You can demonize the University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson for the way some media portrays him, or you can listen to him speak and form your own opinion. Maybe you’re vegan and knowing there are professional bowhunters like Cameron Hanes out there makes your blood boil. Megan Phelps-Roper, who used to be a member of Westboro Baptist Church? Oh, you know that one is going to be controversial!

I know many of you probably already listen to this show, but it’s been immensely beneficial to my life over the years, and in the off chance that you haven’t heard it…go give it a listen. At over 1000 episodes now, feel free to browse through the guests and find a subject matter that piques your interest. There’s plenty to choose from.